The Hex Factor 2011

Stretford Blue now stuck in Leeds, dj_corky has been a long time contributor to Sonic Truth with a mixture of gig and seasonal reviews. Favouring darker and moodier indie-rock and industrial and electronic flavours, for some years now he has done his own ‘Hex Factor’ end of year CD comps for friends, on which I have always found inspiration. Now he’s spreading the love with not only a two-part Soundcloud mix of his fave raves but individual links to each tune so you can back the bands with your 79p. It’s a great selection as usual, Corky usually picks up on fresh talent early on in their career and rarely picks runners that go on to be A-list embarrassments or stadium turds, and following below is his brief intro and link to each tune:

Global financial collapse, Arab spring, Murdoch’s fall, strikes, occupations, riots, looting, killing sprees, royal wedding, City winning a trophy, Lancs winning the championship and the year I finally learnt to love tomatoes: the Hex Factor 2011 is a fitting mix of music which soundtracked what has been an interesting year for me (I’ll spare you the personal details!).

The Hex Factor finally joins the 21st Century and goes publicly online for the first time. This is also the first two-part playlist as there were far too many great tunes for one. I’ve mixed (in the loosest possible sense of the word) the two parts into listener-friendly assemblages and you can stream the two mixes via Soundcloud here and here. I’m not doing a rambling commentary on each track as life is too short, just take it as read that I’ve grown to love them all deeply and you will too. Oh and stop watching the fucking X-Factor, it’s not killing music, it’s just shit and you know you’re better than that.

Part one:
1. Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Even in Dreams (buy it here)
2. The Chapman Family – Anxiety (buy it here)
3. The Soft Moon – Total Decay (available for free at rcrdlbl)
4. Deerhunter – Cool (buy it here)
5. Crystal Stilts – Shake the Shackles (buy it at Slumberland)
6. Wooden Shjips – Lazy Bones (download it for free at rcrdlbl)
7. Tropic of Cancer – Be Brave (buy it at Boomkat)
8. The Horrors – Moving Further Away (free at 130bpm)
9. Religious to Damn – To Love The Machine (buy it via their bandsite)
10. Esben & the Witch – Hexagons IV (buy it here)
11. Zola Jesus – Ixode (buy it here)
Part two:
1. Soft Metals – The Cold World Melts (buy it here)
2. Factory Floor – Real Love (Optimo Remix - buy it on Bleep)
3. Motor City Drum Ensemble – L.O.V.E. (DJ Kicks Extended version – buy it on Bleep)
4. Deathface – Bloodrave (buy it here)
5. Clicks & Whistles – Neva Get Caught (Deathface Remix – free at Culture of Me)
6. CREEP – Days (Original – buy it here or d/l Azari III free remix)
7. Deptford Goth – Youth II (buy it at Bleep)
8. Regis – Blood Witness (buy it at Bleep)
9. Powell – The Ongoing Significance of Steel (buy it at Bleep)
I use and endorse Blackest Ever Black for inspiration, Rcrdlbl for free tracks, Bleep and Boomkat for vinyl and downloads and Jumbo Records Leeds and Piccadilly Records Manchester for the real record shop experience – you can’t beat a bit of vinyl. Merry Christmas from @dj_corky.

And I endorse his fine 2011 selection.